Mystery Spot S3 Ep13
by Bad Day at Black Rock
Summary: Sam gets stuck in the worst Groundhog Day, ever.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: These fics are based on real episodes from Supernatural. The characters and plots belong to the creator and writers for the show. If you want background on the new character you can read the previous episodes.

_For those who haven't read my profile page recently…due to a delay in putting out episodes, I have skipped Malleus Maleficarum and Dream a Little Dream of Me. _

Mystery Spot

_Heat of the moment…_

Sam was rudely awakened by the blasting radio and sat up in bed, Dean was on the bed next to him tying his shoes.

"Rise and shine Sammy!"

"Dude, Asia?"

"You love this song and you know it."

"Yeah, and if I ever hear it again I'm gonna kill myself."

"What?" Dean cranked the volume and started mouthing the words to the song. "I'm sorry I can't hear you!"

Kayla rinsed off her toothbrush and turned off the sink. "Baby leave him alone, he just woke up."

They both got up and went to the sink, Sam picked up "his" toothpaste; the cap was off and old, crusty paste covered it from end to end. With a shudder he put it back down.

"Kayla can I use your toothpaste?"

She pulled it back out of her bag and tossed it to him.

The morning routine as usual.

When Sam and Kayla were ready they waited by the door for him. Sam huffed impatiently. "Whenever you're ready Dean."

He was busy rummaging through his bag and pulled out a bra, holding it up towards Sam. "This yours?"

"Dude."

Kayla snatched it and shoved it into her bag. With a laugh he pulled out what he was _really_ looking for, which was his gun.

"Who's ready for some breakfast?" He grinned and brushed by them.

Sam looked at her. "Keep in mind, I'm stuck with him because we're family. _You_ picked him."

At the diner they discussed the new job over breakfast; Professor Dexter Hasselback disappeared while going to visit the Broward County Mystery Spot. The Mystery Spot was a local tourist attraction, boasting the slogan, _Where the laws of physics have no meaning!_

Dean looked disgusted at the flyer. What a joke. "I'm telling you Sam, this job is small fry. We should be trying to track Bela."

"Yeah ok we'll get right on that, where is she again?"

"Shut up."


	2. Chapter 2

As they walked out they passed a golden retriever tied to a bike rack. Kayla stopped to pet him and the guys stopped walking, humoring her while continuing their conversation.

"Sam you know these places are just tourist traps. Balls rolling uphill, furniture nailed to the ceiling, the only danger is to your wallet." He chucked at his own joke.

"Yeah but I'm just saying there are spots in the world where holes open up and swallow people. The Bermuda Triangle, the Oregon Vortex."

"Broward County Mystery Spot?" They started walking again when Kayla stood.

"Sometimes these places are legit."

"Ok, so if this is legit, and that's a big ass 'if', what's the lore?"

A blonde accidentally ran into Dean as she hurried past, she glanced back with an "Excuse me" and kept walking, Dean resisted checking her out.

"The lore is pretty freaking nuts actually. The magnetic pull is supposed to be strong that victims can be sent, who knows where. A different place, different time even."

"Sounds pretty X-Files to me. Kayla?"

"As long as Sam's Scully."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying this is really happening. But if it is, we need to check it out." They passed two movers trying to get a desk inside a door that was way too small for it.

"We might as well check it out." Kayla noted. "We've done more for less."

Dean sighed. "Alright, we'll go tonight after they close and get ourselves a nice long look."

As they waited out nightfall back at the hotel, Dean wondered if he should tell Kayla about his conversation with Ruby. The information at this point wasn't going to helpful to her, it was only going to make things worse. Sam had already said she was having more nightmares about the hellhounds coming.

So there wasn't any saving him from the pit. So what? He accepted the fate when he made the deal and he still wouldn't take it back. Sammy was alive. Now if he could only get Kayla to see it that way. What he was most afraid of was that she'd blame Sam when he was gone, like it was somehow his fault he ended up there. What if she went off on her own? Maybe she'd be safer.

_Understand this. The entire demon population is looking for Sam and he's not you. They'll use her to get to him and when the war finds them, she won't hide. Her attachment will kill her._

That's what she'd told him anyway. He tried to give her a little credibility after she'd saved him from the damn witches. It made sense but he didn't know what to do with the information. He didn't know if he should steer her away from him. If Ruby was right, she'd said her outlook didn't look good either way she chose.

Kayla walked into the room with lunch and a smile that eased his worries a little. She was tougher than she looked, maybe she'd survive this thing after all. One thing for sure, she didn't need to know about the talk with Ruby. Let them both live on hope for awhile.


	3. Chapter 3

When you first walk into The Mystery Spot you find yourself in a neon green hallway with a black spiral painted to look like 3-D. Kayla couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Lame."

As they walked into the first room, Dean shined his flashlight up at the furniture bolted to the ceiling. "Wow. Uncanny."

Sam ignored them and went to work with the EMF reader.

"My gosh Dean how do they do it?" She looked at the rear end of a horse sticking out of the wall.

He smirked. "Find anything?"

"No." Sam responded casually.

"Do you have any idea what you're looking for?"

"Uh, yeah." He paused. "No."

"What the hell are you doing here?!" A scared voice came from behind them and they spun around to face the owner, pointing a shotgun at them.

Dean held his hands up. "Whoa, calm down. We can explain."

"You robbing me?"

Sam swallowed, the guy was freaking out. "No one's robbing you, just calm down."

"Don't move!" He swung the gun towards Dean.

"I'm just putting my gun down, it's ok."

As he lowered the gun the guy fired a round into his chest. Kayla cried out in surprise as he hit the ground, hard. No one saw it coming.

"Dean!" Sam reached him the same time Kayla did.

The owner looked terrified. "I didn't mean…"

"Call an ambulance you idiot!" Kayla screamed at him, her throat was closing up on her.

"Hey, man no…not like this."

"Shut up!" Kayla argued. "He's not going to die, baby you're ok right?" They watched his eyes close as his head rolled to the side and Kayla sobbed in shock.

Sam looked at his brother. This wasn't fair.


	4. Chapter 4

_Heat of the moment…_

"Rise and shine Sammy!"

He looked at him, startled.

"Dude," he nodded in approval of the radio. "Asia."

"Dean." He looked over and saw Kayla brushing her teeth at the sink. Like nothing was wrong, like nothing had happened.

"Oh come on, you love this song and you know it." He turned up the volume.

"Baby leave him alone, he just woke up."

Throughout the morning routine he couldn't help but stare at his brother. Alive and well. He finally noticed.

"What?"

"I don't know. Man, I had a weird dream."

"Yeah?" He picked at his teeth. "Clowns or midgets?"

He shook his head. What the hell happened.

They went to the diner from breakfast and he couldn't help but notice how similar everything was from his dream or whatever it was. Not just similar, identical. The old man paying for his meal as they walked in, the bum buying a cup of coffee, Dean even ordered the same thing. Tuesday special-pig in a poke, and a side of bacon with a black coffee.

"It's Tuesday?"

"Yeah. I'm telling you Sam, this job is small fry. We should be trying to track Bela."

He didn't answer, Kayla took a swallow of her coffee. "Sam are you ok?"

"You don't remember any of this?"

"What?"

"This, like, today. Like it's happened before?"

Dean shrugged. "Like déjà vu?"

"No, I mean like it's…it's really happened before."

"Like déjà vu." He repeated.

"Forget about déjà vu! I'm asking if it feels like we're living yesterday all over again."

Dean paused. "Ok, how is that not…"

"Don't say it! Just don't, don't say it."

Kayla watched him for a minute while their breakfast was served. "You're being weirder than usual today."

Sam caught the hot sauce the waitress dropped off the tray before it could break, like it did the day before.

"Nice reflexes." Dean nodded, impressed.

"I think you're letting this little crush on Bela distract you. We really should be trying to kill her."

Sam threw his hands up in exasperation.

"You have a crush on Bela?" Dean leaned forward and grinned. "Sam you dog!" She did keep trying to get them killed, but she was still hot.

"What? No, you're missing the point. We've done all this!"

After breakfast they started down the same path they did yesterday.

"Sam I'm sorry, I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Ok look, yesterday was Tuesday. But today is Tuesday too!"

"Yeah, you're totally balanced."

"Maybe it wasn't a dream," Kayla offered, trying to be understanding as she leaned down to pet the dog tied to the bike rack. "Maybe it was a vision."

"No, my visions are not that vivid. We were at the Mystery Spot and then…"

"And then what?"

_And then Dean died. _"And then I woke up."

They passed two movers arguing about a desk.

"Wait a minute, the Mystery Spot. Maybe it really is…I don't know. We gotta check it out though. Just go with me on this."

Dean sighed. "Alright, we'll go tonight after close. Get ourselves a nice long look."

"Wait what?" He stopped suddenly. "No."

"Why not?"

"Let's just go now, business hours. Nice and crowded."

Dean gave him a look and turned to Kayla. "Is it just me?"

"No, he's kind of being a freak."

"Guys."

"Fine! Whatever, we'll go now." He stepped out to cross the street and a car slammed into him, sending him violently through the air and onto the pavement.

Kayla screamed, it was one of those horror movie moments you weren't even prepared for. She covered her mouth and looked at the car, the old man from the diner leaned out his window. Sam tried to help him, but he was already gone.


	5. Chapter 5

_Heat of the moment…_

"Rise and shine Sammy!"

What the hell.

Everything at the diner was the same. The old man, the bum, the orders, the waitress dropping the hot sauce, everything. He tried in desperation to explain it to them but again they looked at him like he was crazy. Dean wasn't even trying to understand.

"Dean quit screwing around."

"Ok! Ok, I'm listening. So you think you're in some kind of what?"

"Time loop."

"Like Groundhog Day."

"Yes!" He said in relief, he finally got it. "Exactly like Groundhog Day."

"Uh huh."

"You don't believe me."

He chuckled. "It's just a little crazy. I mean even for us kind of crazy, I mean…"

"Like dingo ate my baby crazy?"

"How'd you know I was gonna say that?"

"Because you said it before. That's my point."

"I'm sure there's an explanation."

"You just need to go with me on this, ok?" His voice was stressed, he spoke faster and louder. "You owe me that much ok? Just go with me!"

"Dude, calm down."

"I can't calm down! I can't, because…"

"Because what?"

"Because you die today Dean."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not gonna die, not today." His year wasn't up yet.

"Twice now I've watched you die, I've watched _her_ watch you die, and I can't. I won't do it again, ok? You're just gonna have to believe me."

"Alright. I still think you're crazy, but we'll figure this out."

They left the diner, passing the same things as the last two days. Dog, girl, movers. Like clockwork. Had the same argument about going to the Mystery Spot. Dean again suggested going now, then stepped out onto the street. Sam jerked him back before he got hit by the car.

Dean laughed a little at first but caught Sam's look. "Wait, did he…"

"Yeah. Yesterday."

"Was it cool like in the movies?"

Kayla shoved him towards the sidewalk. "Get out of the road for God's sake before another one comes by."

Taking another route, they played reporter and decided to interview the owner of the Mystery Spot. Sam was getting increasingly annoyed at the guy's lack of actual information.

"Ok so Mystery Spot, what does that mean exactly?"

He gave a cheesy smile. "It's where the laws of physics, have no meaning." He even added stupid hand movements like he'd done it a hundred times. Maybe more.

"Ok. Like _how?_" Sam demanded, completely leaving out the patient parts.

"Take the tour."

Dean took some rope. "Guy went missing, Dexter Hasselback, he take the tour?"

"What kind of article is this?"

"Just answer the question." Sam snapped. Kayla tried to lure him away from the man but he brushed her off. He wanted answers.

"The cops searched this whole place top to bottom and couldn't find him, I'd never seen him before. This is a family establishment."

Sam leaned in closer to the guy. "Something weird is going on here, do you know something about it or not?"

He looked nervous. "Ok, listen guys. I bought this place at a foreclosure auction last March ok? I used to sell bail bonds for Christ's sake."

"Ok Kojak, let's get some air." Dean pushed Sam out of the door. "I told you this place was full of crap."

They made their way down the street and while they were talking, Kayla was looking around for hazardous objects.

"Ok, so every day I die right? And that's when you wake up."

"Yeah."

"So let's just make sure I don't die. If I make it until tomorrow maybe the loop stops and we can figure this thing out."

"You think?"

"I vote yes." Kayla dug through her purse. "We'll grab some food and stay at the hotel."

"Chinese sounds great doesn't it?" He took a step forward and was taken out by a desk, no, _the _desk falling from the window as the movers tried to hoist it up. You've gotta be kidding.


	6. Chapter 6

_Heat of the moment…_

"Rise and shine Sammy!"

He went through four more Tuesdays after that. Each day he tried to keep Dean alive and each day something managed to kill him. He choked on his sausage at the diner, slipped and hit his head in the shower, got food poisoning from take out tacos, and was electrocuted by his razor when plugging it in. That's when he got desperate and decided to tear the Mystery Spot apart.

Dean was kneeled beside the owner, who was duct taped to a chair (per Sam's request) while Sam tore the building apart with an ax. "Everybody's fine. Nobody's gonna get hurt, okay?" He forced a smile but honestly Sam was scaring the hell out of him.

Kayla lowered her voice. "Dean, he's lost his damn mind. What are we gonna do?"

"Shut up!" He turned back to them and pointed the ax. "I know what you're thinking, just stop. Something is going on here and I'm going to find out what!"

"Place is tore up pretty good dude, time to give it a rest."

"No! I'm gonna take it down to studs!"

Kayla threw her hands up and looked at him. "Do something."

"Sammy, that's enough." He stood up. "Give me the ax."

"Don't even think about it!"

"Give it to me!"

They wrestled over it until Sam actually swung back too hard and lodged it into Dean's neck, spraying both Kayla and the owner with blood.

Five Tuesdays.


	7. Chapter 7

There must have been a hundred Tuesdays after that and nothing seemed to matter. Dean died, every day. He even got mauled by that sweet dog Kayla always stopped to pet. Sam knew every possible outcome of every possible decision they made. Hell he even knew the details of what everyone around them was doing that Tuesday. At least today they had new information on their missing person.

"Turns out this Hasselback isn't just a Professor. The articles he writes debunk places just like the Mystery Spot. UFO crash sites, haunted houses, he makes a living out of proving them fake."

"Sounds like a Douchebag."

"Yeah he kind of is. I've read all his work, the guy must weigh a ton he's so full of himself."

They stood to leave, Dean chuckled. "It's kind of funny though, the guy makes a living crapping on Mystery Spots and he falls into one. It's kind of just desserts."

"Yeah, yeah it is." Sam turned and noticed something different on a plate left by one of the men in the diner. Strawberry syrup. The guy always gets maple. Always, every day. And today he got strawberry.

"Sam?" Kayla put a hand on his shoulder.

"That guy has had maple syrup for the last one hundred Tuesdays and today he got strawberry."

She paused. "You…aren't a strawberry fan?"

"Not in this diner, not today. Nothing ever changes, except me."

_Heat of the moment…_

The day started over. Because he'd figured it out. The man in the diner wasn't a man, he was a damn trickster. Why didn't he see this before? Hunting down the arrogant, giving them their just desserts, being able to bend time and reality? He had him now.

All through breakfast he watched the guy. Back to his maple syrup now but he still knew what he was. As he got up to leave Sam followed him out.

Dean glanced to Kayla. "You think he's ok?"

"We should probably follow him."

When they caught up Sam had the guy up against a dumpster with a wooden stake to his throat.

"Oh my God, please don't kill me!"

"Uh, Sam…"

"It took me a long time, but I got it. Your MO gave you away, going after pompous jerks, giving them their just desserts. Your kind loves that don't they?"

"Yeah, sure. Ok." The guy looked terrified but they didn't intervene, yet. "Just put the stake down."

"There's only one creature powerful enough to do what you're doing. Making reality out of nothing, sticking people in time loops. In fact, you'd pretty much have to be a God. You'd have to be a trickster."

"Mister my name is Ed Coleman. My wife's name is Amelia, I got two kids. I sell ad space!"

"Don't lie to me I know what you are! We've killed one of your kind before!"

The man relaxed, the _shifted…_in the trickster from their previous job. "Actually bucko, ya didn't."

Dean looked between them. _Holy shit he wasn't crazy. Thank God._

"Why are you doing this?" After a hundred Tuesdays Sam had nothing but rage in him.

"You're joking right? You chuckleheads tried to kill me last time, why wouldn't I do this?"

Dean focused on the job. "What about Hasselback?"

He rolled his eyes. "That putz? Said he didn't believe in wormholes, so I dropped him in one." He laughed at himself. "Then you guys showed up. I made you the second you hit town."

"So this is fun for you? Killing Dean over and over again?"

"One: yes. It is fun. And two: this is _so_ not about killing Dean. This joke, is on you Sam. Watching your brother die every day, forever."

"You son of a bitch."

"How long will it take you to realize? You can't save your brother, no matter what."

Dean grimaced, it was a cruel joke but there was truth behind it.

"Oh yeah? I kill you, this all ends right now."

"Wait! Dang, I was just playing around. You can't take a joke, fine. You're out of it. Tomorrow, you'll wake up and it'll be Wednesday. I swear."

"You're lying."

"If I am, you know where to find me."

"No, easier just to kill you."

"Sorry kiddo. Can't have that." He snapped his fingers.


	8. Chapter 8

_I'll be back in time…_

Sam sat upright in his bed.

Dean glanced back. "Were you gonna sleep all day?"

"No Asia."

"I know, this station sucks."

He glanced back and saw the day on the clock. "It's Wednesday!"

"Yeah, which usually comes after Tuesday. Turn that thing off would you?"

"What, are you kidding? This isn't the most beautiful song you've ever heard?" He got out of bed excitedly.

Kayla laughed a little. "I see he's just as normal today as he was yesterday."

"Wait, what do you remember?"

Dean pulled his jacket on. "I remember you were pretty wacked out yesterday, and we ran into the trickster. That's about it."

"Alright, pack your stuff and let's get the hell out of town. Now."

"No breakfast?"

"No breakfast."

He shrugged and winked at Kayla before taking his bag out to the car. While she finished gathering her things, she watched Sam pack up quickly, but cheerfully.

"Are you feeling better today?"

"Great." He grinned. "I'm feeling great." They both stopped when they heard a gunshot from outside. Sam suddenly wasn't so great and they ran out the door.

Dean was lying in the parking lot next to the Impala, a gunshot wound to the chest.

Sam practically flew down the steps to get to him. "Dean!" There was no pulse when he got to him. "No no no…not today. This isn't supposed to happen today!"

"It's ok though, right?" Kayla stood in front of them, desperately fighting back tears. "This is how it works? He dies and you wake up and I don't remember this."

Sam squeezed his eyes shut. _Wake up wake up wake up…for the love of God wake up._ But he didn't. "It's not…I'm not waking up."

"How long does it take?"

"It's supposed to be instant! He dies, I wake up! It's not…" He leaned his head down by his brother. "I'm not waking up."


	9. Chapter 9

_Six months later_

Sam couldn't even think back on old jobs; they seemed like a joke now. In the last few months he'd killed more things than he could count. He had to give the trickster credit though, he definitely wasn't stupid. After Dean was shot he didn't show up anywhere on the radars, he didn't work his mojo on anyone else. Not if wanted to live.

He hadn't seen Kayla in two months. The conversation was still fresh in his mind, and he still couldn't make himself care. She lost sight of the job.

"_We kill everything we see, I don't even know what we're trying to do anymore!"_

"_Then what the hell are you still doing here?!"_

He had screamed at her, never making apologies, never trying to convince her to stay after that. And she didn't. Now it definitely didn't matter because Bobby had a lead on the trickster and he was going to take care of him once and for all. It took him back to the Mystery Spot.

When he walked in Bobby was kneeled on the floor, setting up for a ritual. When he saw him, he came up and gave him a hug that Sam didn't return.

"It's good to see you boy."

"What are we doing here Bobby?"

"It's the last place the trickster worked its magic. I found a summoning ritual to bring him here."

"What do we need?"

"Blood."

"How much?"

"Ritual says near a gallon. Gotta be fresh too."

"Meaning we have to bleed a person dry."

"And it's gotta be tonight, or not for another fifty years." He was baiting him.

"Then let's go get some." He started to walk out and stopped when Bobby didn't follow him.

"You break my heart kid. I'm not gonna let you murder an innocent man."

"Then why'd you bring me here?"

"Why? Because it was the only way you'd see me. Because I'm trying to knock some sense into you! Because I thought you'd back down from killing a man!"

"Well you thought wrong. Leave the stuff, I'll do it myself."

"I told you, I can't let you…"

"It's none of your damn business what I do!"

Bobby looked at him a moment, it was worse than he thought. "You want your brother back so bad?" He went to his bag and grabbed a knife. "Fine, but better me than a civilian." He handed it over.

"You're crazy Bobby, I'm not killing you." Turns out he has limits after all.

"Look Sam, I'm old. I'm coming near the end of my trail. But you can keep fighting, saving folks, but you need your brother. So let me give him back to you."

"Bobby…"

"You and Dean are the closest things I have left to family. I wanna do this."

"Ok."

"Good." Bobby turned and kneeled on the floor. "Just make it quick."

"Ok Bobby, but you wanna know why?" He kneeled and drove the knife through his back until it came out his chest. "Because you're not Bobby."

The body fell to the floor and didn't move. Didn't change, didn't do anything but bleed. His heart sank; did he just make a mistake? Did he really kill Bobby? "Bobby?"

The body disappeared and the trickster appeared behind him. "You're right, I was just messing with you. You're smart! But let me tell you, anyone who ever said that Dean was the dysfunctional one, obviously never saw you with a sharp object in your hands. Ho ho holy Full Metal Jacket!"

"Bring him back."

"Who Dean? I thought you would have gotten this by now. Dean's dead, and he's not coming back. There's a lesson here that I've been trying to drill into that freakish, cro-magnon skull of yours."

"A lesson?" He was in tears now. Desperate.

"This obsession to save Dean! The way you two keep sacrificing yourselves for each other! Nothing good comes of it! There's only blood, death and misery! Sometimes you just gotta let people go."

"He's my brother."

"Yup. And like it or not, this is what life's gonna be like without him."

"Please, just take me back to that Wednesday."

"You're like talking to a brick wall! Do you even see what you've become?! The people you've hurt around you? When's the last time you talked to Kayla?" Off his look he scoffed. "Yeah, remember her? She's dead."

"No she's not."

"Yeah. Suicide assisted by Dominic so he'd take her to hell. You people are all insane!"

His heart sank. How could he have screwed this up so bad? He just wanted to find answers, one of those stupid demons had answers and he was just trying to find them. Now they were both in hell and he knew he'd failed them. Dean wanted him to watch out for her, to take care of her and she ended up in hell without him even knowing. The tears stung his eyes as he looked at the trickster. He just wanted this to go away.

"Just take me back!"


	10. Chapter 10

_Back in time…_

Sam sat up in bed when he heard the radio playing. _Not_ Asia.

Dean walked out from the sink, toothbrush in hand. "You just gonna sleep all day?"

"It's Wednesday."

"Yeah, which usually comes after Tuesday."

"I see he's just as normal as he was yesterday." Kayla put her things away and patted him on the cheek. "You ok?"

"Yeah." He went over and hugged Dean, which threw everyone off. "What do you remember?"

"Um, I remember you being pretty wacked out yesterday, and running into the trickster. That's about it. Apparently you're pretty wacked out today too."

"No, I'm fine. Just had a really weird dream." He hugged Kayla lightly, he couldn't believe they didn't remember anything.

"Yeah? Clowns or midgets?"

Kayla smiled. "Let's grab something to eat, I'm starving."

"Me too." Dean kissed her before grabbing her bag. "I suppose you're not gonna let us have breakfast here huh?"

Sam looked between them with a smile. "We'll stop at the first place _out_ of town."


End file.
